Self-feeding furnace



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Shieet 1;

T. MURPHY. SELF FEEDING FURNACE.

No. 587,578. Patented Aug. 3, 11897.

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7720772as a r (No Model.) 3 SheetsShet 2,

' T. MUR P HY. SELF FEEDING FURNACE.

No. 587,678. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

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"1 V G o l I i l 3 SheetsSheet 3.

(No Model.)

T MURPHY SELF FEEDING FURNACE, No. 587,6?8.

Patented Aug. 3, 1897.

mmgs.

UNITED S T-E PATENT.- QF-FICE- THOMAS MURPHY, or nhraorr, MICHIGAN.

SELF-FEEDiNG FURNACE,

i srfic ncnmonfomin part of Letters Patent No. 587,678, dated August 3, 1897.

'- Application file-d August 24, 1896. Serial at. 603,771. on model.)

T v qll'iwho'ml it may concern:

Betit'know'n that I, THOMAS MURPHY, a citizen of "the United States, residing at Detroit, in'the'connty of lVayne and State of Michigan,

have invented certain new and vuseful 1111-; proveinents 1n Self-Feeding Furnaces, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying di'awings;'-

lliy'invent-ion relates more particularly to .ste'am-boilers and other furnaces of the selfi'eeding smokeless type, in which the gratebars are arranged either in two rows on the oppositesides or in f r'ont-of the'furnace-chamher and incline downwardly toward the een- 'te'r or toward the rear, the fuel being introduced at the top and fed down toward the middle or rear, in'which there isa device for niechanicallyremoving the clinkers. I

The object of my invention is to improve the mechanical devices for feeding the fuel and removing the clinkers with a view of ob raining greater efliciency and, further, to safeguard against the destructive influence of the high heat, which is the most diiiicult factor to dealwithin this class'oi furnaces, and to this end I have devised an improved fuel-feeding device including a newform of grate, which devices embody the new idea of feeding the fuel to each part of the furnace exactly in the relative proportions tothe degree of combustion which takes place therein; further, in the provisions which are made to lessen the liability of damage to the parts exposed to the heat and to facilitate repairs where such damage should occur.

"Further, my invention comprises certain improvements in-the devices for removing the clinliers, all as more fully hereinafter described',and shown in the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is across-section through a furnace embodyinginy improvements, said furnace being represented as one of a battery of like furnaces. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line :6 min Fig. 1. Fig. 3' is a sectional perspectiveof a portion'of the grate. resents, on a larger scale, a portion of Fig. l. Eigs, 5,. 0, T,'and S are detached perspective vie us of parts of the grate as indicated by the letters of reference.

Fig.0 is a horizontal section throughthe clinker-bar and its bearer.

Fig. 4 rep Fig. is a cross-section thereof. Figr llis a front elevation of the furnace.

In the said drawings my improvements are shown in connection with a smokeless furnace, shown and described in my Letters Patent Nos. 316,461 and 316,462, dated April 28,1885,

in which A represents a steam-generator; B,

a combustion-chamber; C, the fire-arch of the combustion-chamber,

- D is the fuel-magazine, located in the sides of the combustion-chamberand provided with discharge-openings E and supply-chutes F.-

G are coalushers reciprocatingly actuated by the rock-shafts H to feed the coal from the magazine into the grate.

I isa reciprocating bar for imparting motion to the rock-shafts H, and J the air-ducts for supplying heated air through narrow passages K to the burning fuel upon the'grate, all these partsbeing substantially constructed and arranged to operate as described and shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patout, except as to the'parts hereinafter described.

My improved grate forms the usual doublyinclined grate-surface composed of stationary grate-bars 'L and alternate movable gratebars .11.

The movable grate-bars M are sectional bars arranged in tiers, the drawings showing three tiers, the bars on which alternate with the stationary bars, so that one bar of each tier moves in the spaces between two stationary bars. These movable bars are supported in posit-ion by the stationary bars, and to this end they are provided with laterally-project ing lugs a, which rest upon the lugs b upon the sides of the stationary grate-bars L. Instead of the lugs a I), however, friction-rollcrs c, secured in the intervals between the stationary bars, may be used to support the niova-blebars upon. In the drawings 1 show both means, as I preferablyuse them both, so that while the rollers relieve the friction the lugs prevent the possible tipping of these bars.

Each movable grate'bar is further supported in position by means of a rearwardly-extending arm terminating in a hook d, engaging with the swinging bars 6, which is susarranged in severalindependent groups, the drawings showing three for each, the bars of each group being shown hooked npfon separate swing-bars e. The links which support these swing-bars are pivotall y suspended from the stationary bars by means of bars g, and they are provided with the sleeves 'i for the hooks (l to engage upon.

. The stationary grate-bars are supported at their inner ends upon a'grate-bearer N, which is composed'of two longitudinal bars united at distances'apart by means of yokes O and supporting in the space between them a clinker-bar Q, which rests upon movable bearing-block-s O, bolted in between underneaththe yokes'; v

'The clinker bar is provided on the outside with teeth m, which extend spirally around the bar, and the approximate inner edges of the bearers are provided with similar teeth m to aid in crushing the clinkers when the clinker-bar is rocked and also for preventing coal from falling through when starting the fire.

The stationary grate-bars extend with their lower ends over the top of the longitudinal bars of thegrate=bearer, and they are formed .with hook-shaped bearings k, which engage upon the-top of said bearer to hold the gratebars'against longitudinal displacement, and

. lugsl, cast in the bearer, serve to spacethe grate-bars at fixed distancesapart,

. The stationary grate-bars are cast thin, and upon theirsides along the upper portion they are provided with short horizontal flangesl, arranged in the form of steps, which, while permitting the free passage of the air between the grate-bars, intercept the fine fuel from falling through-and thus adapt the grate "to the use of slack coal or culm. A few similar flanges I may be provided .alongthe under edge of. each grate-bar to form, in connection with the flanges L'guides to keep the movable grate bars in position betweenthe stationary grate-bars. v

The upper ends of the stationary grate-bars abut against'a wedge-shaped compensating .plate R, which formsan inclined abutment to permit the bars to expandmore readily with the heat, and npon thisabutment ribs n are cast to serve as-spacing-lugsfor the bars. J This compensating plate is not fastenedi'n I position, so that it is free to move up and down with the expansion of the gratebars. .i 4 The plate R is providedwit h alip R; which projects over the top-of the grate-bars to prevent fuel fallingbetween.thegrate-barsand allowing free passage of air to keep plate R cool. -'At the same time it forms a removable part of the-coking-plate 'S. I The dead-plateor coking-plates, instead of being made in one piece the whole length,

' as heretofore, ismade in sections, joined at the edges by lap tongue and groove, and the compensating-plate R is constructed in similar'sections, andby forming the coking-platecating therewith, is formed at t e rear end from which it is fed through the passages into the furnace. As the front end of air mental gears attached to the rock-shaft for sections with flanges S, I secure them to a, supporting-beam T by means of bolts 1). Ohlong openings in the plates R allow the latter to move up and down on the bolt-heads. V Along the other edge the dead-plate S rests upon a cast-iron bed-plate U, to the under side of which is bolted the L-beam U, so arranged as to make in connection with the L- beam T and the intermediate plate U-nnsirchamber U, and air-chamber U -cemmunk ofgth'e magazine and leads into t eair-flne J,

chamber U is open a current of :air will be induced to flow through the air-chambers U' U5 and keep the parts cool, while at the same time heated air is introduced into the furnace.

The iron bed-plate .U is centrally slotted shaft thereon. Flhezlatter is provided with segmental gears V, V, and V, which engage with corresponding segmental gears formed atthe'ends of the -vibratinglevers W, ",and

W The latter are pivotally secured at their! lower ends and are connected by rods Y, Y, and Y with a swing-bar e, upon which the movable grate-bars are hooked, all so arranged as to impart a horizontally-reciproeating motion to the movable grate-bars by the motion ofthe rock-shaft.

- The swing -bars' e of the corresponding Ice groups -in each tier of movable grate-bars are connected to the same pair of vibrating'levers and there are as many pairs of lovers as there are groups in each tier, but it will be seen, that the amplitude of motion imparted to the groups connected to the same pair of leversis not the same, as the rods Y are con nected higher up on the levers thantthe 10- vers Y, while the rods Yare connectedbelow the rods Y. Thuslthe groups of gratebarsiactuated by the same painof levers have a'ditferential feed. Provision is also made toadjust the points of connections-of the rods Y Y' v Y with the levers \V \V' V higher or lowerforthe purpose of adjusting the feed.

Furthermore, l prefer to impart a diflerenselves by making the segmental gears V V V t of diiferent radius, the length. of radius increasing from front to rear for each pair of levers, so that in the rear the movable grstefeed relatively faster than those in front.

in connection with this difierential feed of the movable grate-bars there are as many separate coal-pnsh'ers provided as'there are groups ofmovable grate-bars ofeach'tier, and these coal-pushcrs are ditferentially moved by means of segmental gears Z Z Z of difierent radii, increasing in length from front to'rear. There are two of these seg' each coal-pusher, and these engage with the racks formed onthe 'under side of the coal pushers,'which have thevform of a rectangular box open atthe. bottom. In this manner withihe exception a, which support the rookthe movement of the rock-shaft imparts a dit'e ferentialreciprocating movement .to-the coalpushers, which :feeds the coal. correspondingly'fast'er that 'is, in larger quantity-at,

' "The parts being thus constructed and arranged as shown and described, they are intended to operate as follows: The reciprocating bar I (the speed of which can be regulated 're'ciprocatingly) actuates the movable grate-bars and-the coal-pushers in a manner may be regulated within much larger limits,

as the varying requirements for steam may permit. 'Thus the fuel fed may be cut down to a lower-limit without depriving any part of the-grate of an adequate supply of fuel to maintainipropel-thickness and proper co1n-' bustion, or the furnace may be pushed to its highest duty without choking the fire by feed in'gtoomuch coal in front and at top of gratebars, and'thus producing smoke by incomplete combustion.- A dilferential feed based on the natural requirements or capacity of.

the grate in different parts of the furnace is thus-Jan important improvement in self-feeding smokeless furnaces.

"While I have shown and described differentially-movable groups of grate-bars in each tier, I claim equally as well a construction in which all'th'e movable bars in each tier arehooked upon 'a'single swing-bar, extending.

from front to rear, and in which the differential movement is. brought about by imparting to the'rear end a larger movement than to the front end, in the same manner as isl'lescrib'ed for .diiterentially moving the By effecting the perfect crushing and removal ot'thecliukers the effective grate-stir faces aremuch increased, and as the mov- =able grates push-the refuse directly upon the -clinker+bar there is no chance for the clinkerstoufor-inia bridge between the ends of the grate-bars;

If the clinker-bar should need to be rebeingcast in one piece with the grate-bearer,

"'ih'e heatis conducted away from them by the larger body'of the bearcr,aud so the yoltes which hold the clinker-bars in position are prevented from'burning out, while no cap or *sep'a'rate piececould withstand the heat.

The destructiveeifect-offthe heat upon the parts is further. lessened by having the 'coking-plate S j kept coolby-a circulation. of air underneath it,-a'nd by dispensing with-all brickworkunderneath, and in building abattery of boilers I merely divide the furnaces off by a thin iron partition r, as shown in Fig. 1, which partition may be bolted in between the bed-plate U of the adjacentfurnaces. This gives ampie space underneai the magazinc and grates to have easyaccess to all parts,

(there being a convenient doorin the furnacefront,.) and the construction is purposely devised to permit the renewal of any partfrom such space. This is greatly facilitated by having the dead-plate and other parts constructed in sections, asidefrom the. economy it affords, and it will'be noted that the bolts and other connections are removed from the influence of any direct heat upon them.

The 1: auction of the lateral flanges upon the upper portions of the stationary-grate-bars is also very important, as they virtuallycom stitute a variable extension of the cokingplate. Thus as long as'the fuel is merely coking it will lodge upon the flanges and prevent fine coal from falling through into the ash-pit; but as soon as the fuel is coked and catches fire it will allow air to pass. These flanges should not extend farther down the bar than about one-third of its length, so that the full supply of air can be freely passed between the bars for theremainingtwo-thirds of their length.

I have not herein claimed the subject-matter relating to the hollow grate-bearers and clinker-bars, having made the same the subjectmatter of a separate application filed June 8, 1897 and bearing the Serial No.

lVhatI claim as my invcntio'nis- 1. In a furnace, the combination of a gratebearer having a central longitudinal slot, a clinker-bar supported in said slot and remov able bearing-blocks secured insaid slot from the under side of said grate-bearer to support the clinker-bar.

2. In a f lirnace, the combination of a gratebearer composed of two longitudinal bars united at intervals .by yokes, a'clinker-bar and removable bearing-blocks bolted in from below said *okes and formin in connection with the yokes hearings to hold the'clinkcrgrate formed of inclined grate-bars, having their lower ends supported upon the oppositesides of said grate-bearer and provided with inwardly-inclined lower ends'exten'ding over the opening in the grate-bar whereby a {contracting throat is formed between said inner ends which enlarges into the opening Zot the grate-bearer.

4. In a self feeding furnace, a bank of in cliued grate-bars composed of inclined .fixed grate-bars extending the whole length of the bank and inclined movable bars of shorter length, arranged in-two or more independentlyrmovable tiers, each tier extending through a portion of the length of the fixedbars, with the bars of each tier alternating ,with the fixed bars. I

5. The combination in a. self-feeding furnace of a bank of inclined grate-bars composed of fixed inclined bars extending the whole length of the bankand inclined bars of shorter length, movably supported between the fixedbars and arranged amen or more tiers, one below the other,'each tier extendiug through a portion of the length of the fixed bars, and with the bars of each'tier alternating with the fixed 'bars, and means for imparting motion to each tier, difierentially with every other tier whereby each lower tier moves faster than the one above it.

6.In combination in a self feediug furnace of abank of inclined grate-bars composed of inclined fixed bars extending the whole length of the bank, and inclined bars of shorter length movably supported between the fixed bar and arranged intwo or more tiers, each tier-extending through a portion of grate-bars, each composed of inclined fixed. bars and inclined movable bars arranged al terna-tely with the fixed bars in two ormore independent movable tiers, collectively extending the length of the fixed bars, means for .reciprocatingly actuating each tier of movable bars, to impart differential motion to the bars of each. tier (or groups thereof) and a feed-hopper, one for each bank of grate-bars, for supplying fuel thereto, said feed-hopper having difi'erential fuel-feeding devices to correspondingly feed the fuel faster to the faster-moving bars of the grate. 8. In a self-feeding furnace,rthe combination of the fuel-magazine located in the sides of the furnace,and provided with differential fuel-feeding devices, adapted'to feed the fuel relatively faster in rear than in-front of the furnace, Jand a V -s haped self-feeding grate having differential feeding devices for feeding the fuel faster in rear than in front oft-he furnace correspondingly witht-he'fueb feeding devices of the magazine.

9. In a self-feeding furnace,

6 5 'tion of a V.-shaped grate composed ,ofalterhating fixed and movable grate-bars and with the movable grate-bars arranged in separate of the length of the fixed-bars and with the the combinatiers, each composed of one or more independently-movable groups, fuel-magazines located zine corresponding with the groups of movable grate-bars and actuating devices where-' l by the fuel-pushers and groups of movable grate-bars are the fuel.

10. In a self-feeding f urnace, the combinu tion of an inclined series of fixed grate-bars, one or more series of shorter movable gratebetween said fixed bars and alternating there-' with, a rock-shaft an (1' separate actuating connections between said rock-shaft and the movable grate-bnrs in each tier, said actuating 11. In a self-fe'edingfurnace, an inclined grate composed of alternate fixed and movable grate-bars, the movable grate-bars boil! arranged in separate tiers, one, above the other and each comprising one or more inde- 9e peudently-movable groups, a fuel-magazine I to'the groups of movable grate-bars, a shaft,separate actuating connections between and separate actuating connections tween said rock-shaft and the groups of movable grate-bars, said actuating connections irn-x parting a differential motion.

12. I a self-feeding furnace, the combination of the fixed grate-bars, the movable grate-bars provided with rearwardly-e'xtend-. ing hooks, the swing-bars engaging with the hooks of the movable bars and connecting Y them in separate groups, the fuel-magazine provided with fuel-pushers corresponding to the groups of movable grate-bars, the rockshaft having differential actuating connee-. tion therewith, and separate connections from said rock-shaft with each group of movable grate-bars, for imparting a differeu tial movementtosaid groups. n a 13. In a self-feeding furnace, the combination ofthe fuel-magazines supported on plates in the side walls of the furnace, the rock-shafts supported in hearings in said bed-t plate, reciprocating coal-pnshers provided with actuating difierentlal gear connections fixed grate-bars and movable bars arranged in tiers, the vibrating levers below the bedplates having 'difierentinl gear connections with the rock-shafts and connecting-rods for said levers with the tiers of movable bars arrangedt-o impart a differential reciprocating motionto said movable bars.

p 14. In a self-feeding furnace, the combination with thefuel-magazines in the side walls, and the coal-pnshers for feeding the fuel, of -the coking-plates constructed in independent sections and forming the to of an airflue extending back of the fuel-magazineand am the air-feeding devicesof the furnace. j

15. In a self-feeding furnace, the combinain the sides of the furnaces and communicat- .7o ing with the grates, fuel-pushers in each magw g differentially actuated to feed bars arranged in tiers .one above the other 8e connections imparting adifferential feed. 8; I I

having separate fuel-pnshers corresponding p I the rock-sh ft-aud each of. the mob ushers, 9 5 a no; c

with the rock-shaft, the grate compoee of f9 r25,

tion of afnel-magazine located in one side of the furnace and provided with a'plurality of independentlyreciprocating coalushers for feeding the fuel into the-furnace, a grate composed of alternating fixed and movable inclined grate-bars and actuating devices for said coal-pushers and movable grate-bars, said actuating devices being arranged to impart a differential motion to said coalushers and grate-bars, for feeding the fuel faster in rear than in front of the furnace.

1 In a self-feeding furnace-grate composed of an inclined row of alternating fixed and movable grate-bars, the combination of the movable grate-bars formed with rearwardly-projeeting hooks and with a sliding foot or base at the lower end, antifrictionrollers mounted between the stationary gratebars and supporting the foot of the movable grate-bars; one or more swinging bars suspended fron1',the stationary grate-bars and I with which the hook of the movable bar engages, and actuating connections for reciprocating the swinging bar or bars.

17. In a self-feeding furnace inclosed in brick walls and having side-feeding fuelmagazines and a V=shaped grate between the same, of fuel-magazines supported longitudinally in the sides of the furnace free and clear of the brickwork to form an open space'beneath the magazines for the access of the air and for the removal of the coking-plate, the latter being constructed in removable sec tions.

18. In a self-feeding furnace, the coinbination with the stationary inclined grate-bars supported at the lower end by a grate-bearer,

of the compensating plate R- forming a Vertically self-adj nsting abutment for the support furnace and the compensating plates interposed between the coking-plates and the upper end of the grate-bars and having a lip projecting over the upper edges of the grate.

In testimony whereof I'afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses THOS. MURPHY.

Witn esses v M. B. ODOGHERTY, P. M. HULBERT. 

